According to Hosseini, Amir’s upbringing is heavily influenced by masculinity, which is the essence of masculinity. Because of this, Amir is constantly trying to live up to or prove his father’s expectations of him as a son, and he does it by turning to his father, the father (Hosseini n.p). Society’s gender norms define men and women, and these norms influence masculinity. In this study, we’ll look at a few quotations from ‘The Kite Runner’ that demonstrate the Afghani belief in masculinity (Hosseini n.p). Once the students saw that Amir’s Father, Amir, is viewed as a symbol of manhood by Amir, they began to understand this significance. In Afghan culture, a man is defined only by his physical appearance and identity; he serves as a model of manhood. According to Amir, the nickname was enough.
‘The Devil on his knees crying for mercy,’ as Rahim Khan used to say, was my father, a strong man of nature with a thick beard, wavy brown hair that was as unruly as he was, hands that could shatter a willow tree, and a black ‘rowing.’ When a roomful of six-footers walked in, all eyes turned to him, like a sunflower to the sun. Amir’s father is a fearless warrior who can drag a room by his bootstraps. They see him as a legitimate man, not just in Amir’s eyes but also in their society. Amir, as the adage goes, must step into large shoes. When establishing a man’s masculinity in The Kite Runner, physical appearance and attitude are essential, but so are the things a man chooses to indulge. Dad feels that boys and young men should spend their time participating in typically male pursuits like athletics. Still, we’ve discovered that Amir likes what his society might consider ‘women’s’ hobbies, such as reading and writing poetry.
As Amir explains in the third chapter, having a son who chose to hide his face in poetry rather than hunting. “Well, I suppose that was not the way Dad thought, I think, this was not what Dad had in mind when he married a poet. If one refers to himself as a real man, then he never heard of poetry, let alone written it Real men – real lads – play soccer like their fathers did when they were younger. He put me on a soccer team because he wanted me to feel the same way. Even so, my life was a living hell, and I was in charge of my squad. Despite my efforts, I was not taken seriously” (Emerson 3). There is a condition known as social injustice in which some kind of wrongdoing occurs in a community. Every day in Afghanistan, someone is beaten, raped, or calls for aid. It has been like this since the government gained control of Afghanistan.
In Afghanistan, social inequality is a big issue. As Farooq puts it, societal problems are inflicted when “Social Injustice” exists. Afghanistan’s social injustice must be addressed daily, as seen by the numerous examples and real-life occurrences. There are numerous incidents of societal injustice in Khaled Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner. One such instance is when Amir witnesses Assef rape his best friend, Hassan (Hosseini n.p). As a result of the existing disparity, this is a prime example of social injustice. Afghanistan is a land of Pashtuns, Assef proclaimed, describing the country. The country is polluted by its people, and there is need to show more material.
Traditional masculinity “harms boys’ health and well-being, according to American Psychological Association’s Guidelines for Psychological Practice with Boys and Men in early 2019”. We Believe: The Best Men Can Be, a slogan for Gillette razor blades, was released soon after, quickly becoming a Media sensation. The male discourse has been elevated to a new level after this two-minute exchange. Men raised to adhere to a rigid concept of masculinity, developed in part as an antidote to any form of feminism, are destructive to their own mental, emotional, social, and spiritual health and the well-being of others.
To have meaningful talks about how to measure, accept complexity and build new ways of human growth and development, it is difficult to have a different way of thinking and ethnic divisions. The term “toxic” does not imply that all water, air, or food is toxic; instead, it refers to substances that are harmful. Contaminated water, air, and food are not anti-water, anti-air, or anti-good food. In reality, questioning our current and historical methods of processing, preservation, and water supply, as well as the number of agents we remove from the air and the level of security at which food is processed, delivered, and prepared, is seen as a responsible, social, and public knowledge. Most of us agree that blaming aggressive lawyers for the intentional desire to abolish water, oxygen, and food would be irrational and irrational at best. Toxic manhood is the same. For many, the term “toxicity” has been employed as a synonym for masculinity rather than to indicate dangerous or detrimental aspects of this masculinity.
In and of itself, manhood is a beautiful, natural, and essential part of human evolution and survival. A man’s masculinity may significantly impact the people around him when applied; when this is done, men can live their lives with courage and strength. When it comes to masculinity, on the other hand, excessive, destructive, lousy connotations and unsuitability are all issues. A good illustration of this is healthy competition in an accessible business or sporting event, whereas unhealthy competitiveness in personal relationships or reckless driving to find space and speed on the motorway is toxic. As easy as it may be for some to focus on the apparent manifestations of toxic manhood, such as sex, domestic violence, or bullying, discussing men’s misconduct at the wrong moment is a challenge. Let’s think: We need intelligent, knowledgeable men who can teach and direct others, but we don’t want insecure, sex-oriented males who explain what they know.
Instead of advocating the exclusion of males, it is all about developing the full human potential of men. Just as men can train themselves with different pieces of gym equipment or other business platforms, they can learn emotional skills. There is no law that you cannot both have masculine and feminine traits because you are male and female. Gender is more about spectrum than labels. A new training program has helped Federer and Williams put their best foot forward (Wolf 317). Assisting men to recognize all of the health and life benefits of a calming, life-enhancing practice is essential if we want them to be successful, happy, and content. Social scientists, for example, who have the freedom to use the term “toxic manhood” should correct opponents’ assumptions and present valuable, truthful, and opposing narratives. Significant gender inequalities are attributed to biology by professionals in the field. When faced with the difficulty of self-discipline and development, the women argued that they could not or should not grow as women and that women should not grow as males. Natural environments, however, are delicate and complex. Increasingly, women are redefining the significance of their gender by becoming more self-assured, competitive, optimistic, and resilient. According to these findings, cultural and social expectations play an essential role in our strengths and limitations regarding gender performance. As a result of this transformation, the monarchy will be disintegrated, and the ideals of what is required for progress in the modern world will be challenged. Women’s movements did the same for males who needed support and encouragement to break out of their sex box.
In today’s world, the instruments for success are different than they were in the past. The strongest and healthiest people are not necessarily those who deny their humanity to identify with a particular gender (Wolf 311). Cross-trainers, on the other hand, are those who emerge from the desired sex boxes and work to develop their whole identity. Women’s power is weak (hence women are inferior to men), and males displaying feminine power – empathy, sensitivity, and compassion — are likewise weak. This group has overturned this old binary and patriarchal view. They are flexible and adaptable to the changing context of their world. Developing one’s physical, emotional, mental, social, and spiritual health is a priority to achieve success and wealth.
In and of itself, manhood is a beautiful, natural, and essential part of human evolution and survival. A man’s masculinity may greatly impact him and the people around him when applied with awareness, timing, and intelligence. When this is done, men can live their lives with courage and strength. When it comes to masculinity, on the other hand, excessive, destructive, lousy connotation, and unsuitability are all issues. A good illustration of this is healthy competition in an accessible business or sporting event, whereas unhealthy competitiveness in personal relationships or reckless driving to find space and speed on the motorway is toxic.
In the wake of the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements, the formal expressions of sexism, male dominance, and contempt for women have been addressed. One of the tens of thousands of speeches sparked by the simultaneous action was on the importance of men’s equality. In the naturally phallogocentric culture, men are given an illiteracy right that goes hand in hand with being a man (Hosseini n.p). As a result of this reality alone, men are held responsible for the debates and institutional arrangements that provide them the right to acquire certain costs of partnerships that should be shared by men and equally by men (Hosseini n.p). A toxic masculinity does not mean that all males are poisonous, nor does it imply that all men are harmful. As a result, toxic masculinity is a term that refers to a set of behaviors and acts that are based on an individual’s sex-perceptions. It is common for males to adopt these habits as part of their identity and position as a man from an early age. It appears that these practices are the exception rather than the rule in our patriarchal culture. As a result, not everyone will find this conduct distressing or harmful, as they consider it to be the usual. However, in actuality, these practices can harm women, non-binary persons, and males. Toxic masculinity necessitates a reexamination of not only traditional notions of male and female roles, but also of sexuality as a whole.
As easy as it may be for some to focus on the apparent manifestations of toxic manhood, such as sexual abuse, domestic violence, or bullying, discussing men’s misconduct at the wrong moment is a challenge (W. R. Emerson 11). Consider: We need guys with wisdom and understanding who can lead and influence others, but we don’t want insecure, sex-obsessed men who explain what they’ve already figured out. Instead of advocating the exclusion of males, it is all about developing the full human potential of men. In the same way, men can train their physical and business abilities, and they can also train their emotional skills. Regarding the tennis court, Serena Williams and Roger Federer are fierce rivals. No rule states that you cannot possess both masculine and feminine characteristics because you are both male and female.
Regarding gender, there is more of a spectrum than a set of fixed categories. A new training program has helped Federer and Williams put their best foot forward. Assisting men to recognize the health and life benefits of a calming, life-enhancing practice is essential if we want them to be successful, happy, and content.
“The Lonely Boys” makes the case that modern males are a generation of passive bystanders who are content to watch others take care of their needs but feel powerless to act on their behalf. Men’s products are sold based on their masculinity. Instead of knowing who you are and your beliefs, “being a guy” means owning the proper watch or automobile instead of truly knowing yourself. Thus, the narrator and the other Fight Club members reject this lifestyle and go out to find something new. They want to reclaim their actual identity by immersing themselves in the experience of battling and dealing with fear and agony. Tyler and Marla’s eyes are similarly cast downward by the narrator. When he stands next to Tyler, he feels like he has lost his position in the world. In the narrator’s opinion, Tyler is an example of a male body, which is ironic. Men are expected to appear well because of advertising. The narrator feels the rejection that comes with love’s jealousy while Tyler isn’t paying attention.
Throughout the novel, the threat of circumcision looms large. First, the narrator meets Bob at a support group for cancer-affected males. Tyler and the space monkeys later used the fear of euthanasia to persuade the police commissioner to put the inquiry on hold. Trying to shut down a fighting club puts the narrator in danger of being castrated. Fighting the organization and Project Mayhem has given these men a new appreciation for their manhood; thus, losing it is the worst thing that could happen to them now. While fighting in the novel doesn’t solve any of the character’s concerns, it is a means to spiritual enlightenment for the author’s protagonist. As long as there is conflict, men are reminded that they are still alive. They are reminded of their mortality as a part of Tyler’s ideology, which he stresses. They utilize fighting as a way to discover who they are. The idea that men are trying to reclaim their masculinity by fighting is a blatant denial of what they have been taught about masculinity by previous generations, their employment, and the Media.
Works Cited
Emerson, Ralph Waldo. “Divinity School address.” (1838): 1-19.
Emerson, Waldo Ralph. “The American scholar.” (1837): 1-21.
Hosseini, Khaled. “The kite runner.” (2003).
Waldo, Ralph Emerson. “Self-Reliance.” (1841): 1-21.
Wolf, Naomi. “Making of a slut.” (n.d.): 317-321.